In March, news broke that production had wrapped on The Monkey, an adaptation of Stephen King’s short story. The film comes from the powerhouse team of producer and genre mainstay James Wan and director Osgood Perkins.
Perkins, known for projects like The Blackcoat’s Daughter (a.k.a. February), I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House, Gretel & Hansel, and the recent Nicolas Cage horror film Longlegs, now turns his attention to bringing King’s chilling tale to life. Longlegs was distributed by Neon, which will also handle the theatrical release of The Monkey on February 21, 2025.
A teaser trailer for the movie has already been released (you can find it embedded above), but fans won’t have to wait long for a more in-depth look—a full trailer is set to debut this Wednesday. Ahead of the release, Neon has shared the Motion Picture Association ratings board’s report on the trailer, which you can view at the end of this article.
Osgood Perkins also penned the screenplay for The Monkey, adapting King’s original story. The narrative centers on twin brothers Hal and Bill, who stumble upon their father’s old monkey toy in the attic. After the discovery, a string of gruesome deaths begins to unfold around them.
Though the brothers try to rid themselves of the cursed toy and move on, their lives take separate paths. Years later, the mysterious deaths resume, forcing Hal and Bill to reunite and confront the monkey once and for all, hoping to destroy it before it claims more lives, including those closest to them.
The Monkey Film
The cast of The Monkey features Theo James (The White Lotus), who portrays the twin brothers in their adult years, and Christian Convery (Sweet Tooth), who plays their younger selves.
The ensemble also includes Elijah Wood (The Lord of the Rings), Tatiana Maslany (She-Hulk: Attorney at Law), Colin O’Brien (Wonka), Rohan Campbell (Halloween Ends), and Sarah Levy (Schitt’s Creek).
The film is produced by James Wan and Michael Clear under the Atomic Monster banner, alongside Jason Cloth and Dave Caplan for C2 Motion Picture Group.
Executive producers include Brian Kavanaugh-Jones and Fred Berger of Automatik, Peter Luo and Nancy Xu of Stars Collective, John Friedberg of Black Bear, and Chris Ferguson. The project was developed by Atomic Monster and Stars Collective, with financing provided by C2 Motion Picture Group.
Reflecting on the adaptation, James Wan shared his excitement:
“Stephen King is the godfather of the horror genre. He had a huge influence on me as a child and throughout my career, and it’s always been a dream to help bring one of his stories to life.
The Monkey is a personal favorite, with its simple, iconic, and incredibly marketable conceit. And I can’t imagine anyone better than a visionary and lifelong genre fan like Osgood to bring this to life.”
Osgood Perkins, in addition to his notable directorial works mentioned earlier, directed an episode of the recent Twilight Zone revival.
His screenwriting credits include the thriller Removal, the crime drama Cold Comes the Night, and the horror film The Girl in the Photographs. His diverse experience in the genre makes him a fitting choice to helm this adaptation of King’s eerie tale.
